Prof. Manoussakis began by defining the ancient concept of "history." The ancient world didn't have our future-driven concept of history, because they believed that the world was eternal. Due to this notion, history was even thought to have a cyclical, repetitive nature, meaning that events had already happened, perhaps countless times. Further, upon examining the English future phrase "I will", we see that the future and "will" are a unified concept, and thus will is what fuels history. For St. Augustine, however, who lived in a time between this ancient concept of history and the emerging Christian era, there was a third element integral to history: divine grace. Thus, for St. Augustine, will and grace are the two forces which fuel and propel history, sometimes working with each other, sometimes in opposition.
The single work of St. Augustine which lends itself most to the study of history is the Confessions, because within it will and grace are central themes. While the Confessions are often thought of as a "spiritual autobiography", the work is in fact a thirteen-book doxology, a prayer of praise. Thus, it cannot be read in the same manner as any other book, for, as a prayer, it seeks not so much to comprehend but to be comprehended.
Much of its meaning can be understood through an analysis of the Latin of the first line of the work: magnus es, domine, et laudabilis valde (Great you are, Lord, and exceedingly to be praised, 1.1.1). The words magnus (great) and valde (exceedingly) both refer to God's greatness. However, it is important to see that this line is not the work of St. Augustine, but rather a line from on of the Psalms. Thus, St. Augustine is speaking to God with God's own words. Thus, seeing as he must rely on God to speak to God, St. Augustine shows that we are never alone in matters of faith, but rather we are receiving God's aid. Relating this to history, the use of God's words show that the Confessions are not so much a beginning but rather part of a continuity within the context of history. Further, the work is not just about St. Augustine, but is rather about all of us and our pursuit of God.
The word domine (Lord) also bears interpretation. In the word domine we see the Latin word domus, meaning "home". St. Augustine's choice of this word produces the image of God as the Lord of a house. As such, the Confessions are a work about going home to God.
The homecoming image is most prominently displayed in St. Augustine's use of the Prodigal Son parable, which he writes about at the end of the first book. The journey home is not so much one through space, but rather through time. When the son asks for his father's property, the Greek word used is actually ousia, which means "essence." Therefore, the split is one of essence, being, and so the son proceeds to dissipate his being by wasting his inheritance. Looking at this tale in the New Testament, we see that the son, after realizing he has squandered his inheritance, "came to his senses" (Luke 15:17). Literally, this passage means "he returned to himself." Thus, when one begins to turn back to God, he must first return to himself. The term for this repentance is called "metanoia", which literally means "mind affected by the after." Thus, repentance occurs when the mind is affected by history - the past, present and future.
This repentance is famously depicted by Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, in which the miserly Scrooge is made generous through an experience with the ghosts of past, present and future. Although this transformation occurs in the course of a day, the point is that time is what causes the metanoia.
For St. Augustine, history is time, and so time is personalized by narration. The Confessions amounts to a history of salvation, from Eden to Gethsemane.
The image of trees depicts this well in the Confessions. In Book II, St. Augustine steals pears from a pear tree, which represents the tree in the Garden of Eden. From the beginning of the work to Book V, there is a long descent depicted, in which St. Augustine wallows deeper and deeper in sin. He reaches his low-point in Book V, when he leaves Carthage and heads to Rome. This crossing of the sea is figurative of the Israelites crossing the Red Sea, moving from idolatry to the Promised Land. This is also a foreshadowing of his eventual Baptism. Further, in the first half of the narrative (Books I-V), when St. Augustine is in Africa, very few names are mentioned, showing a lack of individuality, whereas after (Books V-IX) an abundance of names are used, showing God working through various people to touch Augustine's heart.
In Book VIII, St. Augustine is found in a garden of agony, representing the Garden of Gethsemane. It is there when Augustine realizes that he can only accept God's will because Christ has accepted it first, even unto death on a cross. This is where history ends, for Christ says "it is finished." Our history ends with our salvation, and Augustine's. In Book IX, we have an eschatological book, in which uncorrupted bodies of two martyrs are raised up, representing the Resurrection.
In a question afterward, the topic of happiness was raised. Prof. Manoussakis explained that, while we all want to be happy, we have no actual experience of happiness because of the imperfection of our lives. What St. Augustine tells us is that instead, we have a memory of happiness, but in fact that memory is not of the past, but rather of the future, for our happiness is only to be found in the future when we rest in God.
We sincerely thank Prof. Manoussakis for his time and energy in preparing for this talk; it was a most enlightening experience for everyone.
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